Murkrow's House of Horrors
by Branchwing
Summary: In a vast forest, there lies a small mansion. This mansion has been abandoned for decades, leaving it to rot for eternity. It's only inhabited by a single Murkrow, which perches on a small sign. One day, on Halloween, Firefox and Aura get lost on their way to the Pumpkaboo Festival, and come across this mansion. They unknowingly get trapped inside, and have until midnight to escape
1. Discovery

**DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Pokemon at all! Pokemon is owned by Game Freak and Nintendo. I only own Firefox, Aura, and the plot!**

 **Warning: This story gets rather dark. Back away if you can't handle darkfics and blood.**

* * *

 **Discovery**

One could say that the eerie fog and the full moon can signify the Halloween night out in the wilderness. Although that contributes to a Halloween night, there is just so much more. If anything, the rustle of the trees, with very few leaves left, or the squeaks of Noibats, and the chirping of Murkrows can just make things a whole lot spookier. But beware! One should be careful of the dangers that lurk inside a single abandoned mansion. This is the story of one.

It was a nice autumn afternoon in a vast forest, filled with tall oak trees that tower to the sky. Most of their leaves have fallen, with just a few leaves, clinging on to life. Something about it made it increasingly eerie and mysterious. Nobody knew why, but they just considered it to be that way. In just a few hours later, it would be Halloween night.

A red-orange paw stepped in the orange leaves, making a crunching sound. Then another. And another. Looking up, if you were a small Wurmple or something, you could see the face of a Flareon, walking to somewhere. Her navy blue eyes shined dimly in the broad sunlight, and a smile was on her face. That smile quickly became a worried expression. She looked around.

Beside her was an Umbreon, her fur as black as the night. The Umbreon was focused on a map that she was levitating with Psychic, reading it. The rings on her body weren't glowing now, but it would be in a few hours. She looked up from the map, and became puzzled.

"…Aura? Where are we?" the Flareon asked with a worried tone. The Umbreon, known as Aura, looked around, confused at where they were at.

"…I don't know, actually. We should be here, at the Pumpkaboo Festival, but I don't see anything." Aura continued to look around for a sign of the Pumpkaboo Festival, but it was useless. She sighed and shook the thought, and continued walking.

"Wait!" the Flareon yelled. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to investigate, Firefox. You're… not a very good detective. Besides, I need to look around for clues of the Pumpkaboo Festival's whereabouts," Aura explained.

"…You're not being sarcastic again, are you?" the Flareon, known as Firefox, asked.

"No, Firefox. I'm speaking literally this time. Now-" She then noticed the map, and looked at it. "Fuck! I read the map upside down!"

Firefox started to panic. "D-Does that mean we're lost?!"

Aura nodded. "Yes. But, I can detect something in the distance."

"What is it, Aura?" she asked.

"…A Murkrow. I don't see any around here, but it's somewhere. That's all I know."

"Well, what should we do?"

"Here's an idea. Shut your mouth and let's keep walking until we find something."

So, they walked for what felt like hours. Firefox's legs were getting tired from all of that walking. When were they going to find something _interesting_? It was just watching boring days pass by for the last few weeks. She wanted some excitement in her life. But, then again, she could risk getting injured, something that Firefox definitely hated. Aura stopped.

"What is it?" she asked.

The Umbreon didn't respond. Instead, she was staring at a small mansion in the distance. Firefox didn't understand the importance of it. It was just a regular old mansion in the middle of a forest. It didn't seem like a big deal.

"The Murkrow is there…" she muttered.

"And what is the purpose of this Murkrow, exactly?" Firefox asked.

"Perhaps it could help us get back to our home. We did come the wrong way, after all. It's risky, but it's worth a try," Aura explained. Her paws started to move towards the mansion, the leaves crunching with her every move. To Firefox, it didn't seem like Aura was acting normal. Something seemed… different. Was it because she was a Dark-type Pokemon? She shrugged and followed Aura.

"I don't think we'll have to walk too far," Firefox said. "At least, I think."

"Just stay close to me, Firefox. The Murkrow isn't that far away." The two continued walking for a few more minutes, until they arrived at the mansion. At first, it seemed old, but when she studied it more, she began to notice bigger details. The mansion overall seemed worn-down, and the paint on it seemed dull. There were some spots where there wasn't any paint, revealing just bricks. The windows had cracks and holes in them, some were even boarded up by wood. The doors were wooden and wide open.

"This reminds me of a haunted house," Firefox commented. "Spooky." Aura was still looking around. Her ears perked up in interested when she stopped. Firefox's eyes drifted to a small, wooden sign with a Murkrow perched on it.

"Welcome," the Murkrow said. Its voice was scratchy and coarse, reminding Firefox of claws scratching wood. "What is your purpose here?"

"Hello, Murkrow," Aura greeted. "While traveling to the Pumpkaboo Festival quite a few miles away, we have appeared to have gotten lost. We were hoping that you could give us directions to find our way home."

"Hmm… The Pumpkaboo Festival?" it asked, pondering over what to do. "I'm afraid that it has ended."

" _What_?" Firefox exclaimed in shock. "It ended?! It's not even midnight, yet!"

The Murkrow stretched its talons, as if it was getting ready to scoop up a Caterpie. "Oh, but an unfortunate accident has happened there! There's no use of going back now."

"Can you help us get home, then?" she asked.

It shook its head. "I'm afraid I can't help you, child. You're stuck here for… I don't know, about a day."

"A day?!" Firefox exclaimed. "We'll miss Halloween night, then?"

The Murkrow grinned. "Well, isn't that pleasant. I know a great place you could stay."

Aura tilted her head in interest. "And where is this place, exactly?"

"Why, inside the mansion is a great place to stay. You don't have to worry about a single thing!"

 _I hope that's the case,_ Firefox thought. She was not dying out in the wilderness tonight. "It's a deal, then."

* * *

 **A/N: So, here is my story for Halloween. I'm sorry that it's short, consider this as Prologue Part 1. I'll just tell you that the next chapter will also be short, as it is Prologue Part 2. Basically, 7 chapters in total are planned for this story. Chapters 3-6 will be quite long (probably at least 3000+ words), while chapter 7 will serve as an epilogue, being about as long as this one. I plan for the last chapter to be released on Halloween, so stay tuned every few days for the next chapter. This gives me two weeks in total to write this, just so that you're aware. My other stories will be on hiatus while this is being written, so don't expect any new chapters for my other fanfictions in the two weeks. So, with that, Branchwing, out!**


	2. Entrance

**Entrance**

Aura looked at Firefox in shock. "You are seriously agreeing to go inside a mansion with potential dangers that could kill us all?!"

Firefox nodded. "Yep! We might as well stay somewhere for the night."

The Murkrow grinned into a toothy smile. "Great. Now, follow me, children."

"We're not children," Aura commented. "Or, at least, I'm not."

"It doesn't matter," the Murkrow said. "Just follow me."

Aura and Firefox started to follow it, walking for a few minutes before they arrived at the mansion. They could now see the true state of the mansion. The door was chipped, like a Rattata had gnawed on it. With a little renovation, the mansion could turn from a junkyard to a beautiful work of art. Or, that's what Firefox thought.

When they walked in, she realized that it was beyond repair. The light in the mansion was dim, but it was enough light to see. The curtains were torn, and the tables were turned. There were even small little holes in the walls, but nobody could ever climb through them. It was just too small. Not even a Joltik could fit through one. There were even holes in the ground that led unground. This definitely had the creepy attire to it.

The Murkrow perched on a broken grandfather clock, its red eyes staring at the two Eeveelutions like knives. It gave off a faint smile and flew to a chandelier, then back to the grandfather clock.

"Don't be worried about the… strange attire, it's to get into the Halloween spirit!" it said.

"Are you sure?" Aura spoke up, puzzled. "It seems that there is something rotting away in here." Firefox sniffed the area. Aura was right, she did smell something rotten. She cringed as the foul scent hit her nose.

"Oh? The smell of death?" the Murkrow asked. "I think that's just some rotten apples from… I don't know. A hundred years ago?"

"A hundred years ago?!" Firefox exclaimed in disbelief. "Wouldn't it have decomposed by now?!"

The Murkrow thought for a moment. "Yes, I suppose you're right. Don't worry about it for now."

"I have one more question for you, Murkrow."

"Which is?"

"Are you a boy, or are you a girl?"

"Couldn't you tell that I'm a male by now!" the Murkrow snapped. Firefox sighed and looked down at her paws.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"Anyways," he started. "I'll leave you on your merry way." He started to cackle manically and flew into another room. The cackling echoed off the walls, like a trance.

Aura perked her ears up and turned around, with Firefox doing the same. They then looked at the door at confusion.

"I thought I heard something coming from behind me," she heard Aura mutter. "And who closed the door, anyways?"

Firefox shrugged. "I don't know. Let's open it to let some fresh air in."

"Are you sure? That could let a chill get up our spine, and we would enjoy _so_ much," she said with a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Of course I'm sure!" she piped up. "It would be nice to… block out the foul scent."

Aura sighed. "Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." She tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge an inch. She tried some more, but it still wouldn't open.

"…Is everything alright?" Firefox asked.

"Yes, but this door won't move at all," Aura replied. "I wonder why…"

"Here, let me try." The Flareon walked over to it and tried to open the door. It wouldn't move at all, like it was enchanted. "…You're right, Aura. Maybe… it's cursed?"

Aura shook her head. "No one around here has the ability to curse it. I'm thinking that someone locked the door on us."

"It's a spooky, abandoned mansion," Firefox pointed out. "Anything could happen, and don't forget about ghosts."

The Umbreon sighed. "Look, if we can't get out soon, we'll die from suffocation."

"Don't be so negative, Aura," she said. "Look on the bright side of things!"

"Do you really expect Dark-type Pokemon to be positive?" Aura asked, annoyed. She shook away the thought. "Look, just don't get me ticked off, okay?"

Firefox nodded. "Alright…" She paused as she thought of an idea. She became cloaked in flames, and slammed against the door. She expected to burn a hole through the door, but the door remained unharmed. Aura looked at her in shock.

"Did you just use _Flare Blitz_ on the door?!" she exclaimed.

"Well… Maybe if we attack the door, it would be knocked down, letting us leave."

Aura sighed and began to charge up a Dark Pulse. A few seconds later, a purplish-black beam shot out of her mouth, hitting the door. Nothing happened. She growled in frustration, and tried again. Still, nothing happened. She frowned after this attempt.

"…I refuse to believe that this door is actually cursed," Aura muttered, determined.

"Just face the facts, Aura," Firefox pointed out. "You can't be right all of the time."

"Well…" she started. "There has to be some way to open this damn door."

 _If there even is a way,_ Firefox said to herself. She looked at Aura as she tried to open the door. But nothing worked. Aura sighed.

"…It won't open," she confessed finally. "You were right."

Firefox nodded. "Alright… but who cursed the door, in the first place." Aura simply shrugged.

"I'm not sure. We'll just have to look around for clues."

"Ha! That is unnecessary!" a familiar voice called.

The two turned around to see the Murkrow perching on the grandfather clock again.

"Do you know who enchanted the door?" Firefox asked.

He started laughing. "Well, I think a better question is _why_?"

"Huh?" she muttered.

"I, in fact, cursed the door. I wouldn't want anyone escaping this mansion, do I?"

Both of them looked at him in shock. "You're trapped with me… for eternity," the Murkrow continued.

"H-How do you get out of here?" Aura stuttered. She was at a loss for words.

"That, you would have to find out!" he instructed as he flew off, cackling. Firefox gulped. 

They would be stuck in this mansion forever.

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 **A/N: Phew! I finally got the next chapter done! Sorry that it took so long. Interestingly, the actual word count (not counting the chapter title and A/N) is the same as the first chapter. So, I don't really have anything else to say. Stay tuned for the next chapter, and Branchwing, out!**


End file.
